Placement of students into first-year writing courses

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2012

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to examine concurrent and predictive evidence used in the validation of ACCUPLACER, a purchased test used to place first-year students into writing courses at an urban, public research university devoted to science and technology education. Concurrent evidence was determined by correlations between ACCUPLACER scores and scores on two other tests designed to measure writing ability: the New Jersey Basic Skills Placement Test and the SAT Writing Section. Predictive evidence was determined by coefficients of determination between ACCUPLACER scores and end-of-semester performance measures. A longitudinal study was also conducted to investigate the grade history of students placed into first-year writing by established and new methods. When analyzed in terms of gender and ethnicity impact, ACCUPLACER failed to achieve statistically significant prediction rates for student performance. The study reveals some limits of placement testing and the problems related to it. Copyright © 2012 by the National Council of Teachers of English, All right reserved.

Identifier

84857846929 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Research in the Teaching of English

ISSN

0034527X

First Page

285

Last Page

313

Issue

3

Volume

46

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